Admissions Requirements

Admissions to the doctoral program is governed by the regulations of the Division of Graduate Studies and Urban and Regional Planning. The following criteria must be met:

1. Admissions by the Division of Graduate Studies at Jackson State University with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale;
2. Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination or equivalent test.
3. Promise for successful academic achievement at the doctoral level.
4. For international students, indication of adequate financial support and satisfactory performance on TOEFL demonstrating oral and written proficiency.
5. Three letters of recommendation.
6. Substantive statement of proposed research within one of the Program’s areas of concentration.
7. When applicable, a description of professional experience and/or samples of previous scholarly works.
8. A personal interview with a faculty when practical.

Candidacy Requirements

Students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination and prepare and defend a proposal for dissertation research prior to being declared a degree candidate.

Degree Requirements

Urban and Regional Planning offers courses on a semester basis. A basic core curriculum and three areas of concentration (Community Development and Housing, Environment and Land Use, and Urban Design) are offered. Thirty-six credit hours of course work beyond the master’s degree are required prior to writing the dissertation. After completing these course requirements, students may earn a maximum of twelve additional credit hours of dissertation credit. The Ph.D. is awarded after successful completion and defense of the dissertation.

Course Requirements

¹

Faculty Advisor’s Approval Required.